


The Hole I Dug

by Vthryl



Series: Vthryl's World [3]
Category: Vthryl
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:47:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29704278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vthryl/pseuds/Vthryl
Summary: Summer Larson, a big time fantasy author, was nominated for an award. As great as it is, it also brought along one big problem she had been avoiding, coming clean about not really having a girlfriend. However, before she is able to, something else comes along and she finds herself digging a deeper and deeper hole.
Series: Vthryl's World [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2182611





	1. Chapter 1

Glancing at the clock on my laptop I groaned. I had been working on this one scene for the past hour and had gotten nowhere. No matter what I tried I couldn't get the pirate captain right. No matter how I wrote her she was too similar to my previous characters. 

With a frustrated groan, I decided I needed a break. I grabbed my mug only to find it empty. So, with another sigh, I rose from my chair, stretching my arms above my head causing my back to let out a series of pops. Mug in hand, I headed to the kitchen.

As I reached for my favorite coffee flavor, the Adventure Time theme song poured from my phone. Pulling out the device, I didn't bother looking at the caller ID knowing who the ringtone was assigned to. 

"Hello?"

" _Hello, Summer. I hope I'm not interrupting anything._ "

"Nope. I was just about to take a coffee break." I tried my best to hide my frustration and started my coffee maker.

" _I'm guessing you're home then?"_

"Uh, yeah. Why?" 

_"Are you home alone?"_

_Why wouldn't I be alone?_ "Yeah?"

 _"Okay. I should be there in five minutes."_ Lilah hung up and I stared at my phone in confusion before starting my coffee maker.

Not long after I filled my mug the doorbell rang. I made my way to the door and opened it to find Lilah Haney standing on my porch, dressed in a black button-up with tan slacks. She looked professional like normal, whereas I on the other hand wore an oversized cat sweater with black sweatpants. I opened the door wider and silently invited her in.

"Sorry for suddenly showing up," Lilah said as she followed me into the living room where we took a seat on the couch.

Lilah was the first publisher I ever worked with who didn't care about me being lesbian or about my books having LGBT+ characters. After working together for almost three years we had fallen into a friendship. But, given the other woman's current professionalism, this was more than a simple friendly visit. 

"It's no problem. Though I am wondering why you suddenly decided to visit. This isn't about my new book is it?" I took a sip of my drink knowing that my current project wasn't it. Lilah would have just emailed if it was. 

"Not at all. There's plenty of time before the deadline so I won't be bothering you about that for another few months." I watched her open her purse and pull out an ivory envelope, holding it out for me to take. "My visit is still work-related though. I figured it would be better to discuss this in person rather than email."

I set my mug on the coffee table and took the envelope. I nearly dropped it after reading who it was from. The American Literature Award Committee. Tearing it open, I quickly read the letter's contents while Lilah watched from the other end of the couch.

"I've been nominated to receive an award in the fantasy category?" I said in disbelief after a few minutes. 

My hands started to tremble as I set the letter down next to my coffee. I hugged my midsection as I stared at it. I couldn't tell if this was real or not.

"Yup. The ceremony won't take place until November, but..." I turned to Lilah, watching as she fidgeted with her fingers, "you will have to attend the ceremony regardless if you win or not."

She scooted over to me, reminding me to breathe, as I started to tremble. I did my best to focus on my breathing which became too quick too fast. Thinking about all the people that would be there had started to send me into a panic attack. 

Not long after my first book was released and had become extremely popular, I had a book signing event where hundreds of people showed up. Despite the event having already finished, I stuck around talking to some of the fans as everything was being packed up. Because of all the people, nobody noticed the individual with a knife. One moment I was laughing with a couple of women a few years older than me, and the next there was a sharp pain in my right side. 

The police say it was most likely a hate crime and never found who did it. The knowledge of that person still being out there triggers a panic attack whenever I'm confronted with large groups of people. Apparently, even the thought of interacting with a large crowd caused one. 

It took several more minutes before I had calmed down enough for my breathing to mostly return to normal. I gave Lila’s hand a grateful squeeze and looked up to find an apologetic look on her face. 

"There's more, huh?" I sighed, my voice sounding rough in my own ears as I adjusted my glasses. 

"Before the ceremony, they would like you to host a few book signings and attend a convention in June to participate in a Q and A." 

I jumped to my feet, wrapping my arms around myself, and started to pace.

"I-I don't know. I would love to go to the ceremony but I don't think I can."

Lilah walked over to me and placed her hands on my shoulders. "Believe me, I know."

The shorter woman guided me back to the couch where we took a seat. She handed me my mug and I took a drink. Her voice was soft.

"I did what I could to make the appearances unnecessary but there was only so much I could do that would still let you win that award. I _was_ able to make a compromise though." I looked up from my drink. "It depends on what they have to say and if it conflicts with their schedule, but I arranged it so your girlfriend can be at each event with you."

I froze and a different kind of panic took hold. _That's why she asked if I was home alone._

"I know your secretive when it comes to your personal life and you have a right to your privacy. I just think this would make things easier for you. This way you can have someone you're comfortable with in case you have a panic attack." 

I tried my best to sound calm. "Uh, yeah. I'll ask when she gets back. She's visiting family again."

Lilah nodded, getting to her feet. "Alright. I don't want to rush her but I do need to know by the end of the week. I have to finalize all the paperwork involving transportation and expenses by then." 

Luckily, she had her back to me and missed my look of sheer panic. I managed to regain control of my features before following her to the front door. 

"Well, I have to get back to the office, but I'll email you the rest of the information as soon as I get it." Lilah paused at the door, one hand on the doorknob. "And Summer? If this becomes too much for you, let me know right away, okay? No award is worth you being in pain. Understand?"

"Thank you, Lilah. I will." I gave a small but genuine small and watched as the other woman smiled back before walking through the door and to her car. 

I watched from my doorway as the blue Lexus backed out of my driveway before disappearing down the road. Forgetting my coffee in the living room, I made my way back to my office where I flopped into my desk chair. My laptop had fallen asleep and I spent the next few minutes staring at my reflection on the black screen before reaching for a book on a nearby shelf. It was my previous book regarding a black smith's apprentice who was dragged along by their friends on an adventure and later finding themselves in trouble. Opening the book, I flipped to the last page and read the author's bio.

‘ _Summer Larsen graduated from the University of Denver where she majored in English and literary arts. She has written several best-sellers such as The Thief of Dalsor Woods, Expectations Of A Heiress, and A Child’s Dream. She lives in Denver where she spends most of her time not only writing books but also reading them, much to her girlfriend's amusement and dismay.'_

I sighed and flopped my head back. Not long after graduating college, I found a publisher who was willing to release my first novel. He had told me I needed to come up with something to make myself more relatable to my readers, and rather than making up an alias or any of the other things he suggested, I came up with an imaginary girlfriend instead. My book ended up becoming very popular, especially in the LGBT+ community, so I kept the fact that I was actually single a secret. 

When I started working with Lilah, that woman being attentive to the smallest of details, I had to build it up even more. I had tried to tell her the truth many times but found myself telling more lies instead. " _Oh, they had a work thing," "They're visiting family," "You just missed her. She had to go to the store."_ I knew I was digging myself a deeper and deeper hole and now… now I was at rock bottom. _I have to tell her the truth and now I only have a week to do it._

\-----

It had been three days since Lilah had given me the news and, for the third time that week, I sat at my desk staring at my phone. On the screen was the publisher’s contact information. All I needed to do was press the call button. I rubbed my face with my hands as I groaned in frustration. _I just have to tell her the truth. The truth being I had no girlfriend. So why is it so damn hard?_

I jumped as my laptop dinged, signaling I had a new email. Turning my phone off and grabbing my glasses from the desk, I opened the notification to find it was from Lilah. 

' _Good morning Summer. I attached the document containing more information on the upcoming events we discussed. Please look it over and let me know if anything conflicts with you or your girlfriend's schedule by the end of Friday. - Lilah Haney’_

I jumped back and scooped up my phone. My thumb hovered over the call button but refused to press it. 

"Damn it!" I turned it off again and set it back on my desk. "Why can't I do it?"

Looking around, it felt as if the walls were closing in on me. I backed into my desk and my breath started to quicken. Closing my eyes, I reminded myself to breathe before deciding I had been at home for too long and some fresh air would do me some good.

I wasted no time exchanging my sweater for an Aleska Vargas t-shirt and my sweat pants for a pair of black jeans. After shrugging on my jean jacket and slipping on my worn converse, I made my way to the bathroom. I ran a brush through my short, dirty blonde hair and applied a minimum amount of makeup before grabbing a few things. With my laptop bag over my shoulder, I grabbed my keys and made my way to my car.

It had taken me about thirty minutes to get to my destination since it was across town but there's nowhere else I wanted to go. Stepping into the little hole in the wall coffee shop, I smiled at the calmness that washed over me before taking a seat along the far wall.

\-----

It was a good ten minutes before a tall man with dark skin made his way over to me and started spewing questions. "Hey, you're that Summer Larsen, right? Could I ask you some questions? Your last book seemed to be pretty popular, what did you think about that? Wait, are you working on your latest one? What's this one about? Are we ever going to-"

He was interrupted by a tall woman who tapped him on the shoulder. He was clearly startled as he quickly spun to face her. She moved her sunglasses to rest on her black hair revealing a pair of hazel eyes.

"Hey buddy, you're blocking the aisle. Mind moving?" Her tone came across as bored and he stepped aside. To my surprise she plopped down in the chair across from me with a wink, her voice turning cheerful. "Hey, babe, sorry I'm late. Traffic was crazy."

"You, you're..." the man gasped as he stared at the brunette.

"Yup, that's me." She popped the p then raised her eyebrow at the man, her annoyance clear in her voice. "Would you mind dude? You're kinda interrupting us."

As if on cue, the barista showed up, pushing around the man before placing two drinks on the table. The man took one last look at the two of us before smiling widely and leaving the cafe. I watched as the brunette turned to me, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand.

"Sorry about that. I couldn't help but notice that guy was bugging you. Name's Viv by the way."

The woman offered her left hand to me. I looked her over. She wore a Star Wars t-shirt with an open red and black hoodie over top and loose-fitting jeans. I took her hand and found she had a strong grip.

"Summer."

With a friendly smile, Viv gestured to the drinks between us. "Well, I kinda bought two drinks to help get rid of that guy. Do you like coffee or hot chocolate?" 

I covered my mouth with my hand trying to muffle my laughter. After a moment, I looked back up with a smile. I took the cup labeled coffee and took a drink, my eyes never leaving Viv.

"Well, aren't you a knight in shining armor?" I smiled as the other woman tried but failed to hide her blush. 

"Nah. You don't need to be a knight to know when someone needs help."

I tilted my head before taking another sip of my drink. "Do you always come to the rescue of random strangers then buy them a drink?"

"Only the cute ones get the drinks." She winked at me before her face flushed. "Um, I mean… Sorry about that."

I couldn't help but giggle. "It's no problem. If you don't mind me asking, he seemed to recognize you, did you know him?"

I watched the brunette sit back in her chair, a look of surprise crossing her face. "I've never met him before, but I'm a former UFC fighter so he's probably seen a few of my matches or whatever." She took a sip of the hot chocolate. "I know the sport isn't for everyone but have you heard the name 'Vicious' Acosta?"

I drew a blank and shook my head. "I've never really been a fan of sports so…"

"What do you like then?"

"Oh, I like to read."

She nodded her head. "You look like the type who'd like that."

I tilted my head and adjusted my glasses. "Do you always assume things about the people you just met?"

Viv quirked an eyebrow at me with a crooked grin. "Am I wrong?"

I shook my head and my smile grew wider. We sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments before a beeping sound rang out, which I recognized to be from Kim Possible, and Viv pulled her phone from her pocket.

"Mal momento, Z. Well, I best be on my way." I watched as she grabbed one of my pens and scribbled something onto a napkin. I caught a flash of red and black from her right hand before she set the pen back down and let the sleeve cover it back up. "It was nice meeting you, Summer. If you ever need a knight in shining armor again, give me a call."

She slid the pen and napkin over to me before grabbing her cup and walking off with one last smile and a small wave. I watched as she walked away, UFC written in big letters on the back of her hoodie, before disappearing through the door.

Realizing what she said, I dove for the napkin to find the fighter's number on it with her name and a smiley face. Pulling out my phone, I took a picture of it as my smile widened. I packed up my belongings and left the cafe with a new bounce in my step.

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

When I had gotten home, I was struck by inspiration and my living room became a disaster zone. Papers were scattered everywhere and I spent hours going over every little bit of my story. 

At some point after ten, when I managed to calm down enough to actually sit down, I sent Viv a message. It was a simple conversation. She asked how my evening was, even asking if she needed to slay a dragon for me. At one point she asked what I was doing and I told her I was writing, which led to her joking about me writing fanfiction. Eventually, I glanced at my clock and realized how late it was getting.

To Viv 10:58 pm > As fun as this is I should head to bed 

_Viv 10:59 pm > If you say so _

To Viv 11:00 pm > Goodnight Viv

 _Viv 11:01 pm > _ _Buenas noches_ _Summer_

\-----

The next morning, I easily fell into my inspiration frenzy from the evening before. After meeting Viv, I spent most of the time rewriting the pirate character. This led to me rewriting some parts of my manuscript that I had done, but this new version felt so much better. The clicking of my keyboard filled my office as I hummed along to the soft music drifting from my laptop speakers, a smile never leaving my face.

Despite making progress on my story, I was still no closer to telling Lilah the truth. I had tried calling her again this morning, but, like all the other times, I was unsuccessful. I knew I needed to get it done, but I still had a few days to figure it out. I kept hoping that if I focused on my work I would stumble upon a solution. 

Pausing my typing to take a sip of coffee, I glanced at my phone. I had felt the need to send Viv a good morning text, but that was nearly an hour ago. Granted it was just past eight and I had been up since six-thirty. 

It was a half-hour later that my phone started to ring, the Adventure Time theme startling me from my concentration. 

"Hey, Li-"

" _Is your girlfriend back in town? Why am I even asking? I_ know _she's in town."_

 _What is she talking about?_ "What?"

" _You're dating Vivian Acosta?"_ Lilah exclaimed loud enough for me to jerk my phone away.

"What?" I was beyond confused. _How does Lilah know Viv? Where did she get the idea we’re dating? We just met yesterday!_

_"You haven't seen the article yet have you?"_

"Uh, no. I've been working all morning. Why? Is it important?"

" _The two of you are trending right now! I know we've talked about how you are a private person but I would like at least some kind of warning when-"_ Lilah stopped and I heard a knock on the other line. There was a hushed conversation before the other woman spoke again. " _Sorry Summer but I have a meeting to go to, but I_ will _call you back."_

She ended the call and I quickly googled my name, not prepared for what I found. Clicking on a link for a local newspaper I was taken to the article Lilah was talking about. At the top was a picture of me and Viv at the cafe. We were both smiling at each other and looking like a typical couple. 

' _Former UFC fighter, Vivian 'Vicious' Acosta is revealed to be the mysterious girlfriend to Summer Larsen, a local author. After winning her fight against Anna Kulbiski in April of 2021, Acosta became a ghost, her once popular social media accounts having been deleted and rarely making any public appearances since then. It appears she traded in her exotic nightlife for something more domestic. Late Tuesday morning, Acosta was seen out on a date with famed local author Summer Larsen. To Larsen’s many readers, it is common knowledge that she has been in a long term relationship for the past few years, however, even her most devoted fans did not know with whom. With Larsen giving hints about several upcoming social events in the months to come, it is very likely we will learn how she managed to tame the legendary 'Vicious' as well as discussing her own growing popularity."_

 _The man from yesterday was a journalist._ A wave of panic surged through me and I grabbed my phone. Pulling up Viv’s contact, I hit the call button.

 _"Hola?"_ The other women's voice was groggy from sleep.

"Hey. We, uh, we need to talk."

 _"Um, okay, sure. What's up?"_ There was a series of loud pops which I assumed were from her stretching. 

"Could we actually talk in person?"

_"Yeah, sure. Just tell me when and where and I'll be there."_

"How about my house? I'll text you the address and just as soon as you can."

_"Oh, okay. I'll get my stuff together then head on over."_

"Okay. See you soon then."

After hanging up, I paced around the house for the next half hour. I looped through the kitchen and through the living room before U turning in my bedroom and back again. Finally, the doorbell rang and I rushed to the door. Pulling it open, I found the brunette wearing a red UFC shirt, black running shorts, and a black jacket that was so big on her that I doubted it was hers. Oddly, the left sleeve was rolled up past her elbow, revealing a strong forearm with a beautiful wolf tattoo, while the right sleeve hung down past her right hand. She also had a leg brace that sprouted from her right shoe, hinged at the knee, and disappeared under her shorts.

"Hey. So, uh, I'm guessing you wanna talk about that article." She gave an awkward smile.

I held the door open and gestured for her to come inside. "Thank you for coming over on such short notice."

The fighter nodded and I led the way to the living room where Viv took a seat on the couch. 

"Would you like some water or coffee?" I asked as I made my way to the kitchen, still able to see the other woman thanks to the open breakfast counter.

"Oh, no thanks. I'm good." 

I busied myself with making some coffee as Viv quietly glanced around the room. After a few minutes, I made my way back to the living room where I sat on the adjacent chair. I took a sip from my mug before setting it on the coffee table and nervously adjusting my glasses. 

Taking a deep breath I started, "Viv, I want to apologize. I didn't know he was a journalist. I was working on my story and suddenly he showed up and started bombarding me with questions."

"I feel like I'm the one who should be apologizing. My 'babe' comment probably didn't give the right impression so it's my fault really."

I hid my face in my hands. "Yeah, but had I known he was a journalist and those questions were for an article I probably wouldn't have been so uncomfortable."

"Probably?"

I grabbed my mug again, hiding behind it. "I don't leave my house much. After I was, uh, after an incident a few years ago I just don't handle crowds very well. If he had properly introduced himself I would have been able to handle it better but since he started bombarding me with questions he triggered my anxiety."

Viv looked down examining her brace. Her face flashed different emotions before she turned her attention to her right hand which peeked out from her sleeve. I recognized the same red and black colors from yesterday but realized it wasn't a glove like I had thought. _It's a prosthetic._

After a moment the fighter pulled the sleeve back down and gave an almost sad smile. "I can understand wanting to hide away from the world. It's been a couple of years since my own incident and I'm still dealing with bits of that. No es fácil."

I nodded as I took a sip of my drink. Viv glanced around the room before tugging on the hem of her shirt.

"So, what does your actual girlfriend think of this?" I practically spit out my coffee as frantic words started to spill from the other woman's mouth. "I know the article is assuming we're together-together but- It said you've been seeing someone for a long time- I know girls can be rather territorial and they can be really scary when it comes down to it. I'd rather not get my ass kicked over some mix up the media made."

All I could hear was the heartbeat thumping in my head. That point never crossed my mind. _Of course, Viv would care about how my_ imaginary _girlfriend felt about this mess._

"Summer? Are you okay?" Viv was giving me a very concerned look with her left hand slightly extended in my direction.

I felt like I couldn't breathe. I could barely hear the sound of my mug shattering as it fell from my hands and bounced off the coffee table. I reached up, covering my ears, hoping to drown out the noise of my blood pounding through my veins. Tears trailed down my face and I felt like I was drowning.

What felt like an eternity later, I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, rubbing small circles with its thumb. A gentle tone followed. 

"Hey Summer. It's okay. You're okay. Can you do something for me, please?"

I did my best to take a breath but it refused to enter my lungs causing me to shutter. I heard her voice but couldn't make out the words. After a moment, I felt her hand move further down my back encouraging me to sit up. I adjusted my position and moved my hands from my ears to my midsection.

"Take a look around. Can you tell me five things you can see?"

I tried to slow my breathing in order to speak and was rewarded with quiet, broken words thanks to my still uneven breathing. "I-I-I-I see the couch a-an-an-and the coffee table."

Viv nodded encouragingly with a small smile. "Good. That's two. What else can you see?"

"I-I see the tv, my ph-ph-phone, and t-tow-towels." _She must have grabbed them to clean up the coffee._ I had stopped crying but my breathing was still ragged.

"You're doing great, Summer. How about four things you can feel?"

A took a few more deep breaths. "I feel the ch-ch-chair and the carpet. I-I-I feel my hair br-br-br-brushing my neck and your hand on my-my-my back."

"Bueno, bueno. How about three things you hear?"

"I can hear you breathing, the bir-birds outside, and the neigh-neighbor's dog."

"Damn. You've got some good hearing. I've probably taken too many hits to the head." I felt my lips tug into a small smile and Viv’s smile got bigger. "How are you doing Summer?"

I leaned back against the chair causing Viv to move her hand. "Tired."

"I bet. Damn things take it out of ya." Viv sat back down on the couch but kept her hand on the chair's armrest. "Do you want me to continue the exercise?"

After a moment, I shook my head. I watched as the brunette fiddled with one of the straps on her brace, her right hand still hidden in her sleeve. 

"Hey Summer?" Her voice was hesitant and I looked into hazel eyes. "Can I ask? What did I say that caused…” She gestured around at the coffee table. "It's just… If it was something I said I'd like to know so I keep it from happening again. And apologize of course."

I started shaking my head before she was even done talking. With a sigh, I pulled my knees up and hugged them to my chest. "It wasn't what you said. It's just… I'm tired of living a lie."

I fell silent and Viv tilted her head at me with a confused look. My gaze drifted over to the bookshelf. 

"Do I need to kick someone's ass for you?" I whipped my head back to the other woman and found she was dead serious. 

With another heavy sigh, I looked away, closing my eyes and forcing the words out. "I don't have a girlfriend."

"What now?" 

Opening my eyes, I found Viv with a surprised look. 

"I don't have a girlfriend."

Viv’s eyebrows shot up. "But the article said- And you are- _How_?"

I quirked an eyebrow. "How?"

" _How_ do you not have a girlfriend?" Viv exclaimed in disbelief.

I shook my head with a sigh. "Can we take a time out?"

We paused the conversation long enough to clean up the mess I had made. Viv offered to help and started cleaning up before I could say no, the two of us working together in silence. Luckily my carpet was dark enough to hide whatever stain was still there. 

By the time we were done my nerves had gone, for the most part, back to normal and we had moved to the kitchen. Viv sat on one of the stools while I leaned against the counter across from her, a new mug of coffee in hand. 

"So, despite what everything says, you are in fact single?"

I took a sip before nodding. "That's right." The brunette fidgeted with the sleeve hiding her right hand. I took a deep breath, ignoring that my nerves wanted to panic again, and explained, "There never was a girlfriend. The first publisher I worked with was an ass. He wouldn't publish my first book unless I found a way to make myself more relatable to my would-be readers. He suggested a couple of different things and, without telling him, I came up with a girlfriend."

"How did that go over?"

"Turns out, unsurprisingly, he's homophobic. But, he never actually found out about that. He was outraged because my book has LGBT+ elements, which is something he would have known if he had actually read through my entire manuscript before having it published. He terminated my contract and said I would never write another book."

Viv snickered. "And low and behold, you've written several."

I nodded. "The publisher I work with now is much more open-minded but she's more attentive to detail."

"Does she know the truth?"

"I've tried telling her but… You're the only person who knows." I sighed and took another sip of my drink. "It shouldn't matter but it's been going on so long that I just find myself telling another lie and digging myself deeper."

"So, what about this article?"

I walked around the island to sit next to Viv. I set my mug on the counter and turned to face her. "I originally thought we could figure a way to tell people the journalist had jumped to conclusions. Tell them that we're just friends. But…” I bit my bottom lip.

Viv raised an eyebrow. "But?"

I took a deep breath. "But then I'd still be stuck in this lie. I could say we're not dating but people would still question who I'm dating."

"Okay, but, other than your publisher, who would question your dating life? Like, no offense, but you're not some crazy celebrity everyone wants to gossip about."

I nodded. "That's true but it's different for writers. When a celebrity is caught lying it's just another scandal or a hot news topic. Sometimes the lies and stories are fake and just created for publicity. It hardly ever has a negative impact on their careers. For writers, if we're caught lying it can not only destroy our careers but ruin our credibility. What's a favorite topic of yours?"

"Let's go with MMA."

"So let's say there's this author who wrote all kinds of books on MMA and was considered an expert because of all those books. Then one day it's revealed that the author doesn't actually know anything about the sport and has never even seen a match in their life. All the knowledge they've been passing off as their own is just stuff they've found online or heard from others."

The brunette nodded in understanding. "Okay. I see your point. But how does lying about a girlfriend affect your situation?"

"All my books contain same-sex relationships with most of them being female couples. So my relationship status shouldn't matter, but, in my case, it does because I've been lying about being in a relationship since I started my career. If I reveal that I'm not and that there never was a girlfriend, then I could face backlash for that. What would I know about being in a relationship that would allow me to be able to write that?"

Viv nodded again. "That seems stupid but I see what you're getting at. So what's the plan?"

I raised a brow at her confused. "The plan? I thought we already went over that?"

She rolled her eyes. "I wasn't asking about us telling people we're just friends. You said people would still bug you about who you're dating, so how are we going to deal with that bit?"

I stared down into my mug before shrugging. "I don't know. Maybe I'll say we broke up or something." Hazel eyes looked at me skeptically and I took a sip from my drink. "I said I'll figure something out."

Viv tapped her left hand on the counter, muttering something in what I guessed to be Spanish, before fully facing me. "What if I help you?"

I turned away feeling my anxiety start to build up again. "No. I don't want to drag you into my mess anymore than I already have. I'm the one who let this get out of hand so I'll deal with the consequences."

"Well, I am already involved because of that stupid reporter. If everyone thinks we're dating why don't we just go along with it?" The other woman shrugged like what she said was no big deal. 

" _What_?" I exclaimed as I became flustered. "That's crazy! What about you? What does your boyfriend have to say about all of this?"

It just occurred to me that Viv could be in her own relationship. The former fighter was certainly attractive. However, Viv let out a loud laugh causing me to become confused. 

After a moment, she got her breath back but continued to giggle. "My _boyfriend_ would care about as much as your girlfriend would."

My confusion worsened and I gestured to her jacket.

"Dude, this is my best friend's. I haven't seen anyone in almost three years now." Her hazel eyes were full of amusement. "Besides, didn't that article mention something about you having some upcoming events? Won't your anxiety cause a bit of a problem?

I paused. I was so focused on my nonexistent girlfriend that I completely forgot about the book signings and the convention. Thinking about it, I knew I was going to have a few panic attacks during these events. 

The brunette leaned towards me but still kept a distance between us. "What do you usually do during a panic attack?"

"I normally just wait it out," I admitted quietly. I chewed my lip before I remembered the exercise Viv had me do earlier. "What was that thing you had me do earlier? Me listing off random things?"

"It's a grounding exercise. My friends would have me do it when I was having one of my PTSD episodes. It helps you focus on what's around you rather than yourself."

I nodded and looked down at my drink. Viv’s offer was tempting but there were many problems with it. Even if we planned things out there would still be holes. But all we have to do is satisfy some things and we can avoid the rest. I remembered the schedule Lilah had sent me and glanced over to my office. That was the only real problem with accepting Viv’s offer.

I stood from my stool. "I would like to go over something with you before we decide anything. If that's alright with you? I'll be right back."

Viv nodded and I hurried over to my office. I quickly grabbed my laptop and logged in before returning to the kitchen. I sat down next to the fighter and pulled up the email with the document.

"My publisher actually had the same concerns about my condition. She worked her magic and made it so my 'girlfriend' could attend all these events with me." I turned my laptop so she could see. 

I watched as Viv spent a few minutes looking everything over before nodding her head. "Damn Summer. You're pretty popular huh?"

I couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my lips. "That's probably just because I was nominated for some award." I tried to make it sound like it was nothing even though I was still giddy with the idea. "So if you were to, uh, take the role, you'd probably have to go to these with me. Unless you're too busy of course. I'll just figure something else out then."

I took a sip from my drink before I could ramble any more. Even the thought of Viv being my girlfriend was reducing me to a mess.

"If you're still offering to help, I would be willing to accept it."

Viv broke into a wide, lopsided smile. "Welp, it turns out I have nothing but free time on my hands so count me in." 

She gave me two thumbs up, her right hand still hidden in her sleeve, and I couldn't help but smile again. 

"So, I know there's some things we're gonna have to sort out but how about some food? I kinda haven't eaten yet today," Viv asked getting up from her stool. 

I glanced around my kitchen knowing we wouldn't find anything there. "Uh, how about pizza?"

"Asombroso. I'll go grab my wallet from the car. I'm paying." She took off, pausing to throw me a pair of finger guns and wink, before disappearing out the front door.

I shook my head with a smile, wondering what I just got myself into.

\-----

Once our food arrived we moved to my kitchen table to eat. The small square table was barely large enough to hold the medium pizza box, the breadsticks, and both our plates. I silently watched the woman as we ate our slices. As we waited for the delivery boy she had decided to remove her jacket and leave it on the coat rack. She still appeared uncomfortable, keeping her right arm hidden behind her back, but when we started eating it was finally in full view. Starting just past her elbow was a bionic arm made from red and black plastic. I had also found another tattoo on the woman’s right shoulder. This one being a paw print labeled Fizzgig.

She reached over to grab a second slice from her half of the pizza and I pulled myself from my stupor. "So, we should probably work on what to tell people. Like how we met and stuff…”

The brunette frowned as a mushroom fell off her slice and hit her plate before she grabbed it and tossed it in her mouth. "That's easy. Just tell them how we really met. No reason to complicate everything."

She had a point. _It'll make everything easier for us not having to remember some fake story._

"How about we play a game?" I looked up at her with a confused look and I opened my mouth to protest but she cut me off. "Not like a game-game. We need to get to know each other better so how about twenty questions?"

"Sure. You go first."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Yellow. You?"

She smiled. "Can't you guess?"

I looked her over and playfully rolled my eyes. "Red?"

"Yup!"

I shook my head with a smile. "Okay. What's your favorite book?"

"I loved the How To Train Your Dragon series growing up. How about you?"

"There's too many to choose!"

Viv chuckled and pointed her thumb in the direction of the living room. "I figured you'd say that. I saw all your books in there. What's your favorite animal?"

"Cats. How about you?"

"I've always been a dog person. My roommates and I actually have a keeshond. It’s like a bigger pomeranian. Her name is Fizzgig."

"Really? That's cool. I used to have a cat named Tigger but she passed a few years back." 

"I'm sorry to hear that. Have you thought about getting another one?"

I shrugged, taking another bite of pizza. "Someday. Where did you grow up?"

A sad look crossed the brunette's face as she took a drink of her water. "I grew up in Colorado Springs. My best friend and I left after high school and ended up moving here so we could do our training. You?"

"I grew up in Miami before we moved to Guernsey, Wyoming when I was thirteen. I came here for college and ended up never leaving."

"I've only ever been to the border of Wyoming to buy fireworks. I've seen some nice pictures though. So what made you want to become a writer?"

"I've always liked to read. It let me escape to a different world. I thought it would be cool to give others another world to escape to with my own books. It's kinda silly."

Viv shook her head. "I don't think so. Much better than why I took up MMA."

I leaned forward. "And why did you?"

"My best friend's dad worked at a gym back home. The owner let us take the different fighting classes for free so we both got started pretty young. Our senior year of high school, we had just finished up at a competition and this guy approached us. He said we put on a good show and had potential. After we graduated we moved up here and started training." Her face fell again and she looked down at her plate. "I just had a family thing happen so I was filled with rage at the time and I needed the money so everything just made sense. I could pick fights with people, release some of my anger, and get paid for it."

I nodded before grabbing another slice. "What's something you're good at but people don't really know about?"

Viv tilted her head. "I used to be a pretty good artist. My old apartment was full of drawings and paintings I did. Ever since my incident though it hasn't been the same. What about you?"

"I can play the guitar." 

"That's cool. I've never been good with instruments. What's your favorite movie?"

"Shawshank Redemption. What's yours?"

"I love Coco. You know the Pixar movie?" Viv had the biggest smile on her face and I started to giggle. "What?"

"Nothing. I just didn't expect _you_ to love little kid stuff."

"Hey. Just cuz I'm a kick-ass fighter doesn't mean I can't like cartoons and stuff."

I gave a small chuckle before taking another bite of my pizza. I opened my mouth to ask another question but got cut off by the Adventure Time theme song. I rushed to the living room to grab my phone.

"It's my publisher. Give me a second and I'll be right back." Viv gave me a quick thumbs up and I held the phone to my ear. "Hey, Lilah."

" _Are you doing anything?"_

"Just eating."

" _Okay. Would you be able to video call in a few minutes?"_ I felt a wave of panic wash over me.

"Oh, okay, yeah." Lilah hung up and I hurried over to my laptop that was left on the counter. 

"Everything fine?" Viv asked as she walked over.

"My publisher wants to have a video call." I sat on the stool and felt a hand on my shoulder.

"It'll be alright. I'll stay over there for now and let you handle it, okay?"

I nodded and Viv stepped around to the other side of the island. Taking a deep breath, I hit the accept call button. My screen was filled with the image of Lilah dressed in an outfit similar to the one from the other day, her black hair in a ponytail. 

_"Hi Summer. Sorry for the sudden video call but apparently it's the only way I can talk to someone without being interrupted."_ She glared at something off-screen.

"It's fine. I assume this is about your call this morning?" I did my best to sound calm but my heart was beating like crazy.

" _In a way. As I said this morning, I know you're a private person and I respect that but I would have liked a warning. I just spent a lot of time dealing with reporters who are very interested in the two of you. Luckily, I have experience when it comes to dealing with them. More importantly, have you guys looked over the schedule?"_

I nodded. "We did and there's no problem."

" _Great. There are some things we still need to go over though and I would rather we discuss them in person."_ I heard Lilah click on her keyboard. " _Would you mind stopping by around noon tomorrow?"_

"Uh." I wrapped my arms around my waist. 

I felt a hand gently press into my back and became aware of Viv standing behind me. "Hey, Lilah. For the meeting tomorrow, would you just want Summer or would you like me to come along?"

" _If you could that would be great Ms. Acosta."_

"I have no problem. How about you Summer?" She rubbed small circles into my back.

"Yeah." I nodded enthusiastically despite still being on the verge of another panic attack. "Sounds good."

" _Great. I'll add it to my schedule. And I gotta say you are a hard person to meet Ms. Acosta."_

"Just call me Viv. As for the meeting part, let's just say I have my reasons." 

The publisher's eyes hardened. " _Is that so? Well, that's all I wanted to go over. The rest we can talk about tomorrow."_

I gave a small nod. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then." I went to hit the end call button and watched as Viv gave her one last friendly smile. 

Closing my laptop I spun around to face the fighter. "Thank you."

She shrugged. "You looked like you were getting worked up and I don't need you having another panic attack."

"Yeah. And just so you know, she'll want to know your reasons for avoiding her."

"Don't worry about it. I'll think of something."

"So for tomorrow, would you rather meet there or here? I think it would look better if we showed up together."

I watched as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "Right. Well, you see… I don't have a car." I raised my eyebrow in confusion. "My best friend let me borrow his car today but I don't think he'll let me tomorrow since he has work and stuff. I could meet you there but if you'd rather pick me up or something I can give you my address." 

"I don't have a problem with that."

"Cool." Viv pulled out her phone and, after a moment, I heard mine beep. "Damn, it's already four o'clock." 

I grabbed my own phone and, sure enough, it was already 4:07. "I'm sorry Viv. I didn't mean to keep you this late."

"Don't worry about it. I should get going though. I don't want my roommates to start blowing up my phone."

Viv helped me clean up before slipping on her jacket. We agreed on a time and I watched from the doorway as she hopped in the car. With one final wave, the brunette backed out of the driveway and disappeared down the road. 


	3. Chapter 3

I sat in my office staring at my laptop screen. I fully intended to work on my story but so far I've made no progress. It'd been over an hour and I hadn't written anything. I removed my glasses and sighed in frustration as I rubbed at my face. I was certain my lack of motivation was due to everything else running through my head. Today was the day I was going to introduce Viv as my girlfriend.  _ At least it’s just my friend and not my family. _

I shook that thought away and focused on my clock. It was just past eight and I didn't know what to do with myself. I tried working on my story but that clearly wasn't going anywhere. There was no point in cleaning seeing how I went into a frenzy after Viv left last night. 

_ Maybe I could go over to Viv’s a little early. _ I tapped my finger against my desk before making up my mind. Grabbing my glasses and phone, I sent the fighter a quick message before hurrying to the bathroom.

As I stripped from my clothing I caught sight of the ugly scar marring the skin above my right hip. At some point, I would need to tell Viv about what happened. She would be expected to know.  _ How would that make her feel about me then? _

I shook away the negative emotions and stepped into the shower.

\-----

Thirty minutes later, I emerged from the bathroom feeling physically refreshed from my longer than normal shower. I made quick work of getting dressed. I chose a pair of black leggings and a form-fitting white shirt. After applying a bit of makeup and slipping on my converse and jean jacket, I grabbed my things and headed to my car. 

It didn't take me long to drive to Viv’s house. It was a one story house that looked like all the others on the block, the only difference being the bisexual flag that hung on the front porch on the flagpole. I checked the address one last time before taking a deep breath and leaving my car.

I walked to the porch and rang the doorbell. As I worked on controlling my breathing, I heard a dog start barking inside. After a moment, the dog stopped and the door opened to reveal Viv wearing a loose, red tank top and black boy shorts. Her black hair was a disheveled mess and her right arm was tucked behind her back.

"Oh, hey. I knew you were coming over early but I didn't realize this early." She held open the door and welcomed me in.

I walked in and was greeted by a brown ball of fur running into the front of my legs, it's tail whipping back and forth. Viv snapped her fingers and the dog took a seat in front of me, her tongue hanging out as she smiled at me. I leaned down to scratch her behind the ears.

"Sorry about being really early. I didn't-"

"You're fine. Don't worry about it." She closed the door with a smile, her cheeks slightly pink. Catching a glimpse of her arm I realized her prosthetic was missing. "I'm gonna get dressed real quick so make yourself at home. Vamos, Fizzgig."

I watched as the brunette walked away, her right leg popping every time she put her weight on it. I found another tattoo, this one was a large Colorado tattoo on her upper back.

Pulling myself from my stupor, I made my way to the living room to find a large couch facing a television sitting on a small entertainment center. To the right was a bookshelf full of movies and video games while to the left the wall was covered in framed pictures. Taking a closer look at the pictures, I smiled at all the ones I found. Many of them had Viv and a tall boy with dark brown hair at different stages of their lives. Others were of Viv, some of her with another black-haired girl and some of her fighting or at press conferences. There were also pictures of the boy and another girl with blonde hair, who I assumed to be Viv’s roommates. There were even pictures of Fizzgig scattered among the others.

"The guy is Zaid. He's my best friend I was telling you about yesterday. The girl with the blonde hair is Aubree. She's our other roommate and Zaid’s girlfriend."

I turned to find Viv walking into the room with her dog close behind. She had changed into a pair of dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt. She also put on her brace and prosthetic, the brace hidden under her loose-fitting pants. 

"Who's that?" I asked pointing to a picture of her taking a selfie with the smaller black haired girl who was holding up peace signs. 

Viv smiled proudly. "That's my cousin, Kamryn! She's a few years younger but way smarter. She's going to school at DU to be a physical therapist so she can help people when they get new a prosthetic and stuff."

I could guess why she chose that. "Wow. That's really cool."

Viv nodded before heading over to the kitchen. "Anywho, are you hungry? I still need some breakfast."

\-----

After we finished eating and cleaning up, we found ourselves sitting on the couch. I watched as Viv leaned forward playing tug of war with Fizzgig. I found myself focused on her bionic arm. While it looked a little odd, the movements were surprisingly fluid.

"Can I ask you a question?"

The brunette pulled the rope away and tossed it across the room. She smiled as the dog took off after it. "Sure. We never finished our game last night."

"It's not that kind of question." I glanced at the artificial limb before looking into hazel eyes. "Did you figure out your reason for avoiding Lilah?"

I was ready to put my head through a wall.  _ Why can I never say what I want to? _

"Okay, don't get mad but Zaid and Aubree kinda know everything." My eyes widened in surprise. I opened my mouth to speak but Viv explained, "I swear I have a reason! The two of them know practically every detail of my life so they would go ballistic if I didn't tell them and they're not stupid enough to fall for any tricks or lies. They might be able to help though."

I looked down at my shoes.  _ If Viv suddenly claimed to have a girlfriend who she's been dating for years that would be suspicious to those that are close to her. _

I sighed. "I see your point. How would they be able to help?"

"Despite their appearance, they are rather smart. Turns out Aubree has all of your books and she helped come up with a timeline. My last match was in April and your first book came out in October that same year. That totally gives us a few months in between where we could have met and stuff. As for Lilah, we could say something about how we weren't sure how she'd feel about me. We didn't want her giving you special treatment with me being a former celebrity, we wanted your writing skills to speak for you, and all that. If that doesn't work, I did seclude myself from everything for a long time thanks to my arm and mental stuff and all that."

I blinked in surprise. It was actually a really solid plan. "That will actually probably work."

"Cool. Well, I'm gonna finish getting ready. I won't be long."

She walked away and I turned to Fizzgig who dropped the rope toy in front of me. 

“This will be interesting,” I whispered to her, laughing when she barked a response. 

\-----

The drive to Lilah’s office wasn't a long one. I pulled into the parking garage and managed to find a spot not too far from the elevators. As we got out of the car I noticed Viv fidgeting with the hem of her jacket. 

"I, uh, I don't know about you but I'm kind of a physical contact type of girlfriend and I was wondering… how you felt about hand holding?"

I thought about her offer for a moment and recalled my past relationships. I wasn't big on constant physical contact because it felt too possessive but hand holding was simple enough. It was a rather natural action and a lot less awkward than other options.

"I don't see a problem with that."

The brunette nodded and I led the way to the elevator. After I pressed the button, I watched as Viv rocked back and forth, keeping her weight on her left leg. I couldn't help but wonder how she acted before a fight.

After a long elevator ride, we finally reached the main floor. As the doors opened, Viv offered her left hand to me and I took it. After talking to the receptionist, a security guard led us to the other elevators that would take us to the top floor. 

I was surprised when the man shyly asked for Viv’s autograph before we headed up. The fighter was happy to do so, a giant smile on her face. I watched it falter for a moment when the security guard stared at her right arm before she handed the pen and paperback and quickly shoved the appendage into her pocket.

As we entered the elevator, I found myself lost in thought, thinking about all the ways this could go wrong. As the numbers went up I could feel my chest tighten. Once we hit the top floor I felt something tap my shoulder. I looked over to find Viv giving me a soft smile.

"Don't worry. We've got this." She offered her left hand again and I took it. "Lead the way, Summer."

I led the way down the main aisle, past glass walled offices and conference rooms, and a sea of cubicles. I felt all the eyes that were on us as we sped towards Lilah’s office. What felt like an eternity later, we reached the large frosted glass doors that were guarded by a secretary with long red hair.

She looked up from her computer to greet us. "Good afternoon Ms. Larsen! Ms. Haney is expecting you two so just head on in."

I gave a polite nod before pushing through the doors. Lilah’s office always surprised me no matter how many times I had been there. Everything was always so clean. The far wall had large windows that overlooked the city below. To my right, the wall was lined with shelves displaying different books and to the left was nothing but a large whiteboard covered in neat writing. In the middle of the room was a large white desk where Lilah currently sat typing on her computer.

"You two have perfect timing I was just finishing up this email. Take a seat."

I moved towards the pair of light grey chairs that sat in front of the desk and was surprised when Viv stopped to pull one out for me. I whispered a quick thank you before sitting down. 

"Okay. Just had to deal with another journalist." The publisher turned to us. 

"Sorry about all of this Lilah. I didn't-" She held up her hand and I fell silent.

"You don't need to apologize Summer. It's not your fault." Lilah fixed her brown eyes on Viv. "You, on the other hand, have some explaining to do."

Viv shifted uncomfortably in her seat before clearing her throat. "If you're looking for an apology you're not gonna get one. We didn't know how you'd react to everything when Summer first went to work for you. I decided to take a back seat and let her do her thing."

Brown eyes narrowed at her. "I can see where you're coming from and surely you know now."

I watched mischief flare in hazel eyes and cut Viv off before she could say anything. "It's more than that though. Viv and I were dealing with some… personal things back then and so we were learning to cope with them. Uh, Viv?"

I looked to her and watched the mischief turn to hurt. She closed her eyes for a moment before looking down at her jacket pocket. A wave of guilt washed over me.

Her voice was soft. "Just because you asked."

She withdrew her right arm from her pocket and pulled the sleeve just past her elbow. Viv held it up high enough for Lilah to clearly see. All anger disappeared from the smaller woman's face. Instead, it was replaced by shock. Viv squirmed under her gaze, clearly uncomfortable. I placed my hand on the fighter’s shoulder and she quickly pushed the sleeve back down.

"It's still a sensitive subject. As you can imagine… it was a difficult time. We had to learn to heal and move on." I took Viv’s hand and gave it a tight squeeze. My worry continued to grow until she squeezed back. 

"I see. I'm sorry Viv, I didn't know." Lilah shook her head and started to dig through one of her desk drawers before pulling out a small stack of paperwork. "Well then, let's get to the important stuff then. I wanted to meet with you in person so we could go over everything regarding the events."

\-----

"Holy hell, I never thought that would end!" I chuckled as Viv flopped into the passenger seat of my car.

"It was only two hours. Compared to Lilah’s other meetings, that was short."

"Eso no me sorprende," Viv scoffed. She started tapping a finger on her knee. "How do you feel about all of this?"

"About all of what exactly?" I pulled out of the parking lot and started heading back to Viv’s house.

"About traveling together? I know I said I was cool with going to your book signing and stuff but traveling to Cali? What do you think?"

I sighed. "I'm not really sure honestly. I'm just trying to stay calm and take it one event at a time."

"Hey." I stopped at a light and looked to see Viv giving me a reassuring smile. "It's gonna be alright. We've got this."

The rest of the drive was quiet, music drifting softly from the radio. It wasn't until I pulled into her driveway and Viv unbuckled that we spoke again.

"So, what are you doing this Saturday?"

I quirked an eyebrow. "Uh, probably just working on my story. Why?"

"Every week my roommates and I go do something. Would you like to maybe tag along?"

"I, uh…” I scrunched my eyebrows and stared at my steering wheel. "Okay. But please no crowds."

Viv got a large lopsided smile. "I promise!" She hopped out of my car and waved. "I'll text you later!"

I waved back with a shy smile before back out of the driveway and heading home.


	4. Chapter 4

The next few days were rather quiet compared to the beginning of the week. The only difference from normal being the text messages from Viv. The brunette had sent me multiple potential places for our outing as an effort to ensure my comfort and yet I was still worried about the whole thing. 

At the moment I was in my bedroom trying to decide on an outfit. Clothes had been thrown everywhere as I practically emptied my closet and dresser. My heart was beating like crazy as I raced around my room clad in nothing but my underwear.

Somewhere on my bed, my phone beeped and I dove for it, throwing aside different shirts and such. 

_ Viv 10:02 am > On our way! _

"Shit, shit, shit."

I typed out a quick reply before grabbing the first clothes I saw. Luckily it wasn’t that bad. I ended up with my black NASA crop top hoodie and dark blue jeans. Rushing to the bathroom, I quickly ran a brush through my hair before applying a hint of makeup. 

_ Viv 10:24 am > Just down the road _

To Viv 10:25 am > I'll meet you outside

I slipped on my converse before grabbing my purse. Double-checking I had everything, I headed to the front door. Moments after I locked it, a blue Toyota pulled into my driveway with Viv practically hanging out the back window. 

"Summer!"

With a fond shake of my head, I walked over and slid into the backseat next to the fighter.

"Ya miss me?" Viv asked with a flirtatious smile as she propped an arm up on the back of the driver's seat.

"Don't start with that, V," a male voice called from the seat in front of me. 

"Hey! I listen to you two losers all the damn time!"

"What'd I say about fighting in my car?" a feminine voice yelled as the car backed out.

"Jackass started it!"

"And I'm ending it! What are the rules?"

Viv thumped her head against the driver's seat in defeat. "Seat belts at all times, driver controls the radio, and no fighting. Lo cual es estúpido."

"There's about thirty other rules but those are the big three." The passenger in front of me spun around the best he could to face me. He offered a friendly smile. "I'm Zaid by the way and this is Aubree."

"Hi!" The woman gave a small wave, keeping her attention on the road.

"Summer, but I'm sure you already know all that."

"Doesn't matter what we think we know cuz that's all just stuff we've heard." Zaid shrugged before turning back around.

I couldn't help but smile as Viv and Zaid bickered for the rest of the ride. It only took ten minutes for us to get to a small, hole in the wall cafe that was in a part of town I had never been before. The only people there, besides ourselves, were the two employees. It even had a little outdoor sitting area on the side of the building away from the street where we sat at one of the tables. 

"So how did you all meet?" I asked once we had our drinks and were situated around a small table outside.

Viv spun to face me with a wide smile. "Who do you wanna hear about who met who first?"

"We could start with who has known each other the longest?"

"That's easy. Zaid and I have known each other since kindergarten."

"Partners in crime since we were five, huh?" He reached across the table and Viv gave him a fist bump.

"As for those two, Zaid works at a restaurant and one day when he was filling in for one of the waitresses his clumsy ass tripped and spilled a tray of drinks all over Aubree. He started apologizing like crazy and gave her the jacket from his locker to change into."

Aubree nodded with a fond smile while Zaid shook his head. "You say I'm the clumsy one?"

"Yes, I do."

"Who was it that ran full on into the wall yesterday?"

Viv hid behind her drink. "Fizzgig."

"Which  _ human _ ran full on into the wall yesterday?" Aubree corrected.

Viv shook her head dismissing it. "I think you need to get checked for a concussion."

Aubree raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

Viv set her drink down and leaned forward with a smug smile. "You made a pretty loud thump the other day when Zaid dropped you."

I tried my best to suppress my laughter as the couple went pale. Next to me, Viv covered her mouth doing the same.

"You were home?" Zaid exclaimed.

Viv nodded before bursting into laughter. I did the same. 

Eventually, Viv got her breath back and took a sip of her drink. "As for how Aubree and I met, she almost stabbed me.”

“What?” I asked, my eyes going wide.

“You can’t just leave it at that!” Aubree yelled at the brunette. “I went home with Zaid one night after a date. At some point in the middle of the night I got up to get some water and I heard someone enter the house. Zaid told me his roommate would be at her cousin’s all night so I thought it was someone breaking into the house. I grabbed a knife and confronted them. Turned out it was Viv coming home early.”

“Yes, and you almost stabbed me.”

“I did not!”

Viv shrugged as she took a sip from her drink, mumbling,  “Discutible.”

The rest of us shook our heads in exasperation. 

“So, what do you two do for a living?” I asked the couple.

“I work in the history museum as an archivist,” Aubree said proudly. 

“I work at Terranova's.”

I tilted my head in confusion. “I thought you were a fighter like Viv?”

“Oh, nah. I was going to be. We actually trained together but then a month before my first match I got sick. It messed up my lungs so I had to quit.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

Zaid shrugged. “Eh, it wasn’t meant to be. Besides, if I never got sick things would be way different. I would have never met Aubree.”

He wrapped an arm around his girlfriend, pulling her closer, while Viv rolled her eyes. 

\-----

We stayed there for another hour or so, joking and getting to know each other. Viv and Zaid told stories about them growing up while Aubree shared things she’s come across at work. I even shared tales from my college days.

Eventually, we piled back into Aubree’s RAV4 and headed off. We ended up at a small thrift store that was practically deserted save for the woman running the register and a man reorganizing the movies. 

“Okay, so every time we hang out we go to a thrift shop and play a game. Since Aubree won last time she chose this time. For this game, we choose outfits for each other and whoever chooses the ugliest outfit wins,” Viv explained.

“Each outfit gets three parts. Typically a shirt, some pants, then some kind of accessory like a hat or a jacket,” Aubree added. 

“Alright, I’ll pick for Aubree, she’ll pick for Viv, Viv will pick for Summer, and Summer picks for me,” Zaid said, clapping his hands together. “Is that good?”

Everyone nodded and Viv grinned. “Meet by the changing rooms in ten minutes. Ready? Go!”

We all took off in different directions. I beelined to the men’s section in search of the ugliest clothes I could find. There were actually quite a few so I had a rather hard time choosing just three but eventually I made my decisions and joined the others by the changing rooms.

“Ooh, what all did you find?” Viv asked as I walked over.

“Will these fit Zaid?” 

Viv set the clothes she gathered down on a nearby chair before looking at what I grabbed. “The pants and the shirt will fit and the vest will be a bit big but I think that’ll help with the look.”

“Okay, who’s going first?” Aubree asked as she walked over.

“I nominate Viv!” Zaid said with a grin.

“Fine.” 

The brunette grabbed the clothes from Aubree and disappeared into the changing room. Minutes later she emerged wearing a carrot orange sweater, camouflage cargo pants, and a windbreaker that was splattered with red, blue, gold, and green.

“Come on Aubree, this is the shit my cousin Niko wears,” Viv joked.

“Yeah, it’s not my best work.” 

Viv changed back into her other clothes before Zaid handed Aubree his choices. She had changed into a mustard yellow tank top, plaid pants that consisted of three different colors, and a green-brown poncho coat.

“I’m not gonna lie, this poncho coat is horrible by itself,” Aubree grimaced. 

“The pants really aren’t much better,” Viv pointed out and I nodded agreement.

I handed Zaid my choices and he stepped into the changing room after Aubree finished. As Viv said, the yellow striped turtleneck and the flower patterned pants fit him fine while the camouflage vest was a size too big. 

Tugging at the collar, Zaid groaned. “This shirt is the worst.” 

“Yeah, yellow isn’t your color.” Aubree screwed up her face. 

“Alright, here’s your outfit.” I turned and Viv dumped her clothes into my arms. “I wouldn’t worry because I’m pretty sure Zaid is already gonna win with his pick so this outfit isn't as bad.”

I waited for the man to step out of the changing room before I walked in, locking the door behind me. I laid the clothing out on the bench before stripping to my underwear. I scrunched my face at Viv’s choices before slipping them on. After taking a deep breath, I stepped out.

“Wow, I didn’t even know they made overalls in that color,” Zaid gawked.

Viv had chosen a four colored checkered button-up, neon green overalls, and a yellow overcoat for me to wear. 

“It’s actually not a bad look if only the colors were different,” Aubree pointed out.

Viv shrugged and I ducked back into the changing room. When I emerged we came to a decision. Zaid had won.

After putting the clothes back where we found them, we walked around the store seeing what we could find. I smiled as Viv got excited after finding a leather jacket in her size. After we checked out, I had found a rather interesting book, we climbed back into Aubree’s car and made our way back to my house.

“I appreciate you all letting me tag along today. I had a lot of fun,” I said as the car stopped in my driveway.

“No problem! It was really nice meeting you,” Aubree said while Zaid gave a friendly smile.

“It was nice meeting you two as well.” 

With a smile, I gathered my things and made my way to the front door, Viv close behind. My smile turned shy as I turned to her after unlocking the door. 

“You didn’t have to walk me to the door, you know?”

Viv shrugged. “Yeah, but I wanted to.”

“Viv, I… I had fun. More fun than I was expecting. Thank you for inviting me.”

“Don’t mention it. I just thought it would be a good break from everything else going on. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

“Yeah. Well, goodbye, Viv.”

“Hasta luego, Summer.” 

Viv waved as she walked backwards. Once she was in the car I stepped into my home.  _ Viv’s roommates are pretty cool. _


	5. Chapter 5

The next two weeks were rather uneventful. I spent most of the time focused on my work while texting Viv. We played more twenty questions and I had actually learned quite a bit about her. Her birthday was August fifteenth, her favorite holiday was Halloween, she preferred rain over snow, her favorite superhero was Savage from the Mutant Guard, and she was, as I suspected, fluent in Spanish. Everything was pretty good. At least it was until I woke up having a panic attack.

I had fallen asleep not long after texting Viv but found myself plagued with nightmares. All of them focused on me being stabbed over and over again, unknown faces cruelly smiling down at me as I bled out on the floor. I tried to call for help but my voice refused to work and I couldn’t get away. 

I had startled wake and curled into my blankets sobbing. At some point I found myself grabbing my phone and calling Viv. Her voice was groggy when she answered but it quickly became awake and alert when I mentioned having a nightmare. She immediately started reassuring me and announced she would be over despite it being five in the morning. 

While I waited, I made my way to the living room and curled up on the couch, leaning against the armrest. With shaky hands, I found the remote and turned on an old SpongeBob episode. Halfway through the first one, the doorbell rang and I ran to the door. I threw it open to find Viv with a concerned smile and bedhead. Seeing her standing there sent a wave of guilt washing over me.

"I-I-I-I'm sorry." My voice was small and tears spilled down my cheeks.

Viv pulled me into a hug, her voice gentle. "It's not your fault. You're okay."

I clung to the front of her jacket and buried my face in her neck. We stood there for who knows how long before Viv guided me back into the house. Once my crying started to subside, she led us to the living room and sat us on the couch. As much as I tried, I couldn't make myself let go of her jacket and kept myself pressed against her shoulder. Viv hummed as she wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close, while she gently carded her fingers through my hair. 

When I woke up the first thing I noticed was that I had something warm wrapped around me that smelled like caramel. The second being that someone was in my kitchen. I sat up, rubbing my eyes, and looked over the back of the couch and into the kitchen to find Viv at the stove. 

"Buenos días cabeza soñolienta. Have a nice nap?" Her voice drifted from the other room, overpowering SpongeBob which still played on the tv. I gave a jaw popping yawn and I could hear her smile. "That good? I was just about to wake you up. I hope you don't mind but I raided your kitchen to make some breakfast."

I stretched my arms above my head and felt something slide off my shoulders. Curiously, I looked to find the jacket Viv had been wearing the day we met.  _ She must have draped it over me when I fell asleep. Wait. Did I fall asleep on Viv? _ I raked my brain trying to remember what had happened this morning as I neatly laid the jacket on the back of the couch before making my way to the kitchen table. Moments after I flopped onto my stool, Viv placed a plate of eggs and toast in front of me. I hummed as I took a bite.

"I was gonna make you some coffee too, but damn dude, I thought there was only one flavor of coffee!" Viv walked over to my coffee drawer and pulled it open revealing my collection. "Where do you even get these?"

"There's this website called Bones Coffee that has all kinds of different flavors. The artwork is cool too."

"I noticed that. Wait, is this one supposed to be The Dude? And the Blues Brothers?"

"You should see the holiday ones they make."

"That's amazing. So what would you like?"

"Cookies and Dreams please." 

After we ate breakfast I was feeling much better. There was the usual lingering anxiety and fears but certainly not as bad as earlier. 

"So…” Viv said as she set the last plate in the dishwasher, "while you were asleep Lilah called." 

I had an idea of what she called about. "I'll call her back then."

"Well… I didn't want to wake you up because you really needed to sleep so I kinda answered it for you. How much have you even slept the past couple of days?" I wanted to be annoyed at her but her tone was full of worry.

I sighed and leaned against the counter. "Not a lot. Maybe a few hours a night for the past week."

"We'll have to change that. Anyway, Lilah was wanting to know if you were still up for your signing. She specifically wanted me to tell you that if you don't want to or don't feel ready she'll understand. Nobody wants you hurting."

I let out another sigh and shook my head. "I'll be fine. After all, she spent a ton of time and effort organizing these events herself. I don't want all of her work and time to go to waste. I'll call her and let her know I'm okay." I moved to go find my phone but felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Summer." I turned to find Viv’s eyes full of concern. "Lilah said that this was your first signing since you were stabbed." I went stiff and felt nauseous. "I don't want the specifics or anything. I know how hard it is to talk about this kind of stuff. Just give me a simple yes or no. That's all I want to know."

I started to tremble and Viv reached up with her right hand, the rubbery pad of her thumb wiping away the tear that slid down my cheek. Her tone was soft and her hazel eyes were full of worry. I gave a quick nod.

"Do you still want to do the book signing?" I gave another nod as I took a shaky breath. "Alright then. It's almost ten so why don't you go do whatever you need to in order to get ready and I'll go call Lilah. Okay?"

"Okay."

Viv gave me an encouraging smile as she stepped back. "Would you like a hug first? I promise I don't bite. No mucho al menos."

She gave me a playful wink and I couldn't stop the small laugh that escaped me. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her frame. I felt her arms around my shoulders and was engulfed by the smell of caramel. I couldn't even remember the last time I received a hug and this just felt right somehow. 

"Better?" Viv asked after letting go. I nodded. "Good. Now you go get ready and I'll call Lilah. And feel free to take your time. You certainly deserve it."

"Thank you."

"Anytime Tesoro."

\-----

"We're setting up the main area over here. This way the line will go around this corner and along the back wall so anybody waiting won't get in the way of the other customers and it'll also keep less people around the table. Then the manager said we can use the staff room so if either of you needs a break."

Lilah showed us around the store, tapping on her tablet the whole time. It was undeniable that she knew how to get things done quickly and efficiently. She commanded a small crew of the bookstore's staff and some of her own employees, setting up a table stacked with copies of my books and a roped off section for people to start a line.

Despite the event not starting for another half hour, a line already snaked around the large store and I noticed Viv kept putting herself between me and the growing crowd. It did help me focus on what Lilah was saying. That and holding the brunette's hand. At first, I was surprised when she offered her right hand to me but ended up being grateful for it, seeing it let me squeeze as tight as I could without her noticing. 

"So that's basically everything. Any questions?" Lilah looked up from her tablet.

I shook my head while Viv tilted her's. "Where do you want me during all of this?"

"I'll leave that up to Summer. I'll leave you two here while I go make sure everything is ready. I'll come get you five till, okay?" We both nodded and Lilah walked off.

I felt Viv gently nudge my shoulder with hers. "Why don't we go sit down for a bit?"

I nodded and she led me to the staff room. To the right was a small kitchen area complete with a sink, a fridge, a microwave, and a small table while to the left was a loveseat, a coffee table, and a few chairs. Luckily, nobody else was there. Viv took a seat on one of the chairs and gestured for me to take the loveseat. 

"How are you doing?" I flopped back with a sigh. "I figured as much. How about a breathing exercise?" I sat up and looked into hazel eyes. "Could you take a deep breath while I count to three?"

I closed my eyes and gave another nod. I took a deep, shaky breath and waited for her to count before releasing it. We did it a few more times until I was breathing more evenly. 

"There ya go. Now how are you doing?"

I opened my eyes again and she gave my hand a light squeeze. "Better. Could I… could I have another hug though?"

"Of course."

Viv got to her feet and held her arms open to me. Unlike this morning, I had no hesitation as I wrapped my arms around her. Once again, I was engulfed by the smell of caramel and I couldn't believe how warm she was. I buried my face in her shoulder and felt her cheek rest on my head. 

"Everything will be fine. I won't let anything happen, okay?" I pulled away and looked into hazel eyes. Plastic and rubber cupped my cheek and I tilted my head into it. "Besides, Zaid and Aubree said they'll stop by around one to come see you, okay?"

There was a loud cough and I looked around Viv to find Lilah standing by the door. I jumped back and ended up sprawled across the loveseat.

"I don't want to interrupt but it's time to start," Lilah said with a giggle. 

Viv started to laugh herself as she helped me back to my feet. I shook my head hoping to get rid of my blush before following Lilah.

\-----

In the end, the event went well. One of Lilah’s employees stood at the head of the line as a friendly bouncer. Viv ended up standing to the side with the publisher for most of the event. She made sure she was always in view and it didn't take long for her to become restless. As for me, I talked to my fans, listening to their excited stories as I signed their book. At one point Zaid and Aubree did show up as promised. Seeing their familiar faces did help calm me down as I signed Aubree’s book before they left to joke with their roommate. 

As soon as the clock struck two, Lilah went to deliver the bad news to those still in line, assuring them they could come back tomorrow. Viv made her way over and leaned against the table next to me.

"How are you doing?"

I was tired. "Could be better, but good."

Viv offered her hand and helped me to my feet. "You down to go again tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Could you, could you sit with me tomorrow? Knowing you were nearby and being able to see you whenever I looked up helped, but…”

"No problem. Whatever you need, Tesoro."


	6. Chapter 6

The second day went about the same as the first. The only difference being that I didn't call Viv because of nightmares, but she did have to help me through a grounding exercise after the event. The press had finally showed up, as I thought they would. Thankfully their questions were the usual simple things like what I thought about the events and about my next book. Viv managed to stay out of their focus since she stayed back and refused to answer any of the questions directed at her. With the first event done, I felt more confident about the next one which was a month away. 

It was now a few days later and I found myself back in my new routine, spending most of my time writing and messaging Viv throughout the day. The fighter had actually started reading my first book and it was interesting to hear her thoughts on it.

_Viv 11:53 am > The storytellers are totally the God of Death and her wife right _

To Viv 11:54 am > Yes

To Viv 11:56 am > People think she is gone but she actually returned without anyone knowing and is traveling the world with her wife telling stories of her adventures and nobody knows it's them because they are disguised

_Viv 11:58 am > Are they in all of your books _

To Viv 11:59 am > Maybe

_Viv 12:00 pm > Damn you _

_Viv 12:00 pm > It's still amazing tho _

I jumped from my chair when my phone started to ring, Beauty and the Beast filling the room. I sat back down and scooped up the device, accepting the call.

"Hey, Mom."

_"Summer!"_

"What's up?"

" _Nothing is up. Can't I just call my baby girl to see how she's doing?"_

I rolled my eyes. "Normally, but I recognize that tone. What do you want?"

" _Well, your brother is coming home for spring break and your sister also decided to come visit."_

"Okay,"

" _Your dad and I thought it would be nice to have the whole family home for the week. You could see your siblings and we could all meet your girlfriend."_

"What?" I exclaimed as I jumped to my feet. 

" _Did you think we didn't hear? When were you going to tell us you were seeing someone? What’s her name again, Vivian? I'm honestly a little surprised you're not married yet seeing how long it's been."_

"Mom!" 

" _Come on, Summer. I'm just pointing out what I see."_

"Ugh. I don't know Mom. I've got another book signing coming up and I'm working on my next book. Viv and I are pretty busy right now."

" _Is that so? Your dad will be disappointed then. He was really looking forward to seeing you and I know Annika would love to see you too."_

I groaned and ran a hand through my hair. "Fine! I'll talk to Viv."

" _Great! Call me tonight and I'll get everything set up."_ With a click, the call ended and I flopped back into my chair.

\-----

A few days later, I found myself on Viv’s front porch at seven in the morning knocking on the door. After my mom hung up on me I called Viv in a panic explaining everything to her. I said I could make some excuse for her but the fighter brushed it off saying she would go and assuring me it was no problem. The door opened revealing Viv in a pair of jeans, a spiderman t-shirt, and her UFC jacket. Fizzgig pushed past her and jumped at my legs.

"Hey! You ready?"

I leaned down to scratch the dog behind her ears. "I feel like I should be asking you that. Are you sure you want to do this? You've already done so much. I can show up by myself and say you were too busy."

Viv tossed her duffel bag over her shoulder. "I agreed to come and it's not like I got anything else going on. It'll be nice to get out of the city."

"Thank you."

She gave me a soft smile before looking down at the dog who sat at my feet. "Fizgig, you better be on your best behavior while I'm gone. Entendido?" The dog tilted her head and gave a large smile while her tongue flopped out of her mouth. "Atta girl. Now get inside. Hasta luego."

With Fizzgig inside and the house locked up, we made our way to my car. Viv stashed her bag in the back before hopping into the passenger seat. 

"So, I saw it's about a three hour drive. If you need a break at some point I can drive for a bit if you'd like."

"Okay. I'll keep that in mind."

I pulled out of the driveway and we fell into a comfortable silence. It wasn't until we were outside of Denver that Viv spoke.

"So, is there anything I should know about your family? I know you've got your parents then your older sister and younger brother, but like… what I should expect and is there's a way I should act."

"As for how you should act, don't worry about it. They've never met you before so just be yourself. For my family, my dad's an architect and my mom helps out at a daycare. My sister, Annika, is a dancer who does different performances and stuff. She lives in Los Angeles with our cousin Em. Then Erik is going to school at some university in Texas studying robotics. My parents will probably ask a few questions, especially my dad, and my siblings will… well be siblings."

Viv chuckled, "Yeah, I can handle siblings, especially little brothers."

I glanced over and found Viv staring out the window with an almost sad look. _Does she have a little brother? The only family she's talked about is her cousin._ I shook my head. _Now's not the time._

"My parents will probably treat us like teenagers. My dad will probably interrogate us and you'll sleep in the guest room."

"Will they… will they expect to know about, uh…” I glanced over to find her fidgeting with her brace.

"They'll wonder like everyone does but they won't ask how it happened. The most that will probably happen is my brother asking how your prosthetic works because he's a dork, but he's a harmless dork."

She gave me a soft smile. "Okay." 

We spent another hour talking about my family, pet names, and shows of physical affection. After that Viv fell asleep for a while before I asked her to switch. We played some more twenty questions while she drove. I learned that her favorite band was Of 970, her first job was working at her uncle’s restaurant when she was fifteen, and she’s been outside the country a few times. While most of her fights were in Vegas and a couple in New York, she had also traveled to London, Abu Dhabi, and Rio de Janeiro. Once we reached Guernsey, we switched back and I drove us the rest of the way to my parent's house.

Mixed emotions washed over me as I turned down the street I grew up on. _It’s nice to be home but I wish the circumstances were different._ I pulled in front of the house and sighed as I turned off the engine.

“Ready?” Viv asked with a soft smile.

“As I’ll ever be.” I smiled back and we got out of the car.

I led the way to the porch and rang the doorbell, Viv standing behind me. After a moment or two, we heard the click of the lock and the door opened. It opened to reveal my mom who had a huge smile once she saw me.

“Summer! Kris, come here! Summer is here!” She stepped out onto the porch and wrapped me in a hug.

“Hey, Mom.”

My dad appeared, pretty much taking up the whole doorway, and smiled before he joined the hug. “There’s my baby girl.”

“Hi, Dad.”

They pulled away and my mom’s eyes found the woman standing behind me. She pushed past me and grabbed the fighter’s hands. I watched confusion flash across her face for a second before disappearing.

“You must be Viv! It’s so great to finally meet you.”

“Uh, hi Mrs. Larsen. It’s nice to meet you too.”

“Nope. None of that Mrs. Larsen or ma’am stuff. Call me Jen. And this is my husband Kris.”

“Hello.”

“Look at you. Summer sure knows how to pick them.” I felt my face burn and watched as Viv turned red.

“What’s everyone getting so worked up about?”

I turned around to find Erik walking through the door, a tired look on his face. I smiled at my little brother.

“I didn’t know you were home already.”

“Got here this morning. I was trying to catch up on my sleep but here you are waking me up like usual.”

“Oh, you big baby.” I stuck my tongue out at him and he returned the gesture. 

“Erik,” our mom called, “why don’t you show Viv around the house while you two grab the bags. I’ll go fix up a snack.”

Erik shrugged. “Okay. Come on Viv.”

Viv walked past, giving me a small smile, and I watched as she disappeared into the house. _This is going to be an interesting week._ I thought as I retrieved our bags from the back of my car.

\-----

Stepping into the backyard, I was surprised by what I found. Erik and Viv stood on the small concrete half-court together, my brother inspecting the fighter’s prosthetic. 

"I just never realized how advanced these things are."

"Yeah. It has all kind of sensors in it. The sleeve part here reads my muscle movements and tells the hand how to move. Then there are sensors in the fingertips and in the palm that send vibrations to my arm which lets me know how tight I'm holding something. It also lets me know how hard something is squeezing my hand."

I froze as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I remembered the first day of the first book signing and how hard I was squeezing her hand. _The sensors must have been going crazy! I really thought she couldn't tell._

"That's so cool. It must have cost a bunch."

“Actually, it wasn’t that bad. I got it from a company in my home town who makes really advanced prosthetics for rather cheap. They’re actually the best in the country.”

“Really? What are they called?”

“Wings of Defiance Prosthetics. The woman who started it is amazing. She lost her arm in an accident when she was in college and made herself a new robotic one. She changed her major and started the company when she graduated.”

“Wait, isn’t Wings of Defiance that social media group that does stunts and stuff?” I asked as I reached them. “I hear about them all the time. They do some shows in Denver right?”

“Yeah. The girl who drives the motorcycle is the one who makes the prosthetics. I told you, she’s amazing.” Her voice was full of awe and I felt a pang of jealousy in my chest

“Sounds like it. Can you do that stuff with your arm?” Erik asked.

“I can’t do any motorcycle tricks but I can do some stuff. Watch this.” 

She took off her jacket, handing it to me, before walking over to the basketball hoop. I watched as she gripped the pole and my eyes went wide as she held her body out horizontally like a flag.

“Holy shit!” Erik exclaimed just as surprised as I was. “Can you do the airwalk thing too?”

Viv grinned and started to move like she was walking. Her movements were so fluid it couldn’t help but gawk. After a moment she moved her feet back to the ground and stood back up.

“Damn.” Erick smiled.

“You should see me with a pull-up bar or something,” Viv grinned as she stretched her arms above her head.

“There’s a… there’s a park like a block up if you wanna go,” I said in a daze.

Viv chuckled. “If you want to. I know how much you like me showing off, ey Chica?”

I felt my face burn and I shoved the jacket back to her before burying my face in my hands. 

“Could we go?” Erik asked. “Maybe you could teach me something?”

Viv chuckled as she slipped her jacket back on. “Lead the way.”

It took us five minutes to walk to the park and we found a group of pull up bars. Viv tested her grip before taking hold and hanging below the bar in a perfectly horizontal plank. Next to me, Erik had pulled out his phone and was recording her. After a moment, the woman flipped around, ending up above the bar, and doing another plank followed by a handstand. She flipped around again and landed on the ground.

“How was that?”

“That’s was _amazing_. Can you teach me?”

“Maybe once you’ve bulked up some.”

“I wanna try real quick though.” 

He handed me his phone and walked over to Viv.

“Alright then. Grab it like this.” 

I started recording while Viv walked him through the steps. She did a series of pull-ups while Erik struggled to do even one. With a grin at the camera, Viv adjusted her grip and started to air walk around the bar again. I chuckled as Erik let go and watched Viv with a pout. 

Once she came back down he shook his head. “Fine. But next time you come visit I’ll be able to do it.”

“If you say so, Muchacho.” She reached out and ruffled his hair causing him to pout more as he playfully shoved her away. 

_Maybe it won’t be that bad._

\-----

The rest of the day went nicely. Viv and Erik played video games together in the basement while I sat on a nearby couch with my laptop. It kind of surprised me at how quickly the two had bonded. After a dinner full of my parents sharing embarrassing stories from my childhood, my mom announced we would be playing board games together as she ran through the house grabbing every game we owned.

“Why don’t you choose first Viv?” my dad offered.

I watched as the brunette frown at the games. “I… I don’t know how to play any of these.”

“Really?” Erik asked with a raised eyebrow.

Viv fidgeted with her brace. “Uh… my family wasn’t the type to play games or anything.”

“It’s okay. We’ll teach you.” I gave her a small smile with a tilt of my head.

Viv returned a soft smile before reaching for Uno. The fighter frowned again and I noticed her hand movements appeared to be a bit more sluggish than normal. 

After Uno and Operation, I leaned over to ask, “Hey, is everything okay?”

“Yeah. It probably just needs to charge.”

I nodded. _It’s probably not used to doing all that stuff she did today._

After two other games, my dad headed out back to sit on the deck and I was rather surprised when Viv chose to join him. Not hearing any yelling or arguing, I decided to go to bed even though something was still worrying me. _Something doesn’t feel right._


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, I was sitting in the kitchen at the breakfast counter working on my story when I paused my typing to take a sip from my mug. Hearing a familiar popping sound, I looked up to find Viv shuffling into the room wearing her usual tank top and a pair of running shorts. She grumbled a ' buenos días ' before taking a seat next to me, dropping her head onto the counter with a dull thump.

"Sleep well?"

"Uh-huh." With a jaw popping yawn she looked up. "So what's the plan for today?"

"My parents are going to the airport to pick up my sister and Erik is visiting his friends so it'll just be us for most of the day."

"Okay."

"Out of curiosity, what did my dad say to you last night?"

"Oh, you know… just the normal dad stuff. He seems cool though." 

“I gotta say, I’m surprised you didn’t seem put off by his size.”

“Please, I got an uncle who’s bigger than him. Besides, guys like that tend to be big teddy bears.” I nodded while she got to her feet. "Does your family have any cereal?"

After breakfast, we moved to the living room where I continued with my writing while Viv did her workout routine after applying her prosthetic and brace. Despite having my laptop open, it wasn’t until the other woman went upstairs to shower that I managed to get back to work. 

When she finished with her shower, Viv joined me back in the living room. There was a comfortable silence as I typed away on my laptop on one end of the couch as she read one of my books on the other. Every so often, I found myself watching her from the corner of my eye and I couldn't help but smile.  _ Her eyes are so expressive. _

About an hour later, Viv set her book aside and got to her feet. "I'm gonna make some lunch. Would you like some?"

"Yes please."

I watched as the fighter disappeared into the kitchen with a smile. With my own smile, I turned back to my laptop.  _ At this rate, I might actually be done ahead of schedule. _ I adjusted my glasses as I reread my last paragraph. 

I wasn't even a sentence in when a scream cut through the air. It was so terrified sounding, I jumped to my feet, shoving my laptop on the coffee table and discarding my glasses on top. I ran into the kitchen, almost falling as I slipped on the hardwood.

"Viv! What's-"

The fighter stood frozen in the middle of the kitchen staring down at her prosthetic in sheer horror. Looking at it I realized the hand was missing. Whipping my head around frantically I found the appendage still grasping the fridge door handle. I tried to pry it loose but it refused to budge. 

_ What do I do? What do I do? _ I needed to do something but I didn't know what. I thought about calling Zaid or Aubree but I didn't have their numbers and I had no idea where Viv’s phone was.  _ I’m on my own. _ I approached Viv slowly, stopping just short of touching her. 

"Viv." I spoke slowly, trying to keep my voice soothing as she did during my own panic attacks. "Viv, can you look at me please?"

When she didn't respond, still looking down at her arm and having difficulty breathing, I slowly reached out trying not to startle the taller woman. The moment my fingers ghosted Viv’s jaw she jumped back, falling to the floor and using her left arm and leg to shuffle backward. Hazel eyes looked up at me, full of fear as she looked  _ through _ me. Her back hit the cabinet and she held her arms up like she was expecting an attack.

"A-A-An-Ann-Anna, calm down. It-it was just one match." I barely heard her with her voice so quiet. "Please p-p-p-p-put the weight down."

My eyes went wide as I realized she wasn't having a panic attack. She was having a PTSD episode.  _ This is really, really bad. I don't think a grounding exercise will help. What do I do? Who's Anna? _ I took a deep breath trying to calm myself down.  _ She thinks she's somewhere else, but where? _

I knelt down, still keeping my distance. "Viv, where are you, what's going on?"

The brunette gave me a confused look. "We-we-we're in the hotel gym."

Her voice trembled and tears streamed down her face. I found myself fighting back my own tears. I reached out to cup her face again and this time she didn't jerk away.

"It's okay, Viv. I'm not going to hurt you. Just take a deep breath okay?"

She pulled away from my hand. "Just p-please put the weight down."

Not sure what else to do, I dove forward, wrapping my arms around her shoulders as tight as I could and buried my face into her neck. 

"Please come back to my Viv.  _ Please _ ."

It felt like an eternity as I sat there trembling against her. Eventually, I felt an arm wrap against my middle, pulling me flush to her. We sat there in silence for several minutes as Viv’s breathing started to even out. With a sigh, the brunette sagged into me.

"Viv, are you… Where are you?" I asked nervously, my face still buried in her neck.

She pressed her cheek into the side of my head. Her voice was tired and strained. "With you in your parent's kitchen."

I nodded as a small wave of relief washed over me. I leaned back but kept my hands on her shoulders. Viv kept her head hung low with her left hand resting on my hip.

"How are you feeling?"

Hazel eyes looked up and I was glad to find no sign of fear or a far off look. "Tired. I hurt. Mostly my arm though. My leg’s not as bad."

I gently ran my hand down Viv’s right arm, stopping on her bicep. "Would taking it off help? You don't have to but… I don't know."

I was struck by fear.  _ I want to help but what if I say something that had the opposite effect? It could cause another episode. _ It was silent for a minute before Viv slightly nodded her head. She held her right arm up to me. 

"There's a small power button." She pointed with her left hand, which was trembling. "Press it and it'll release it, then just pull."

I pressed the button which gave a small click and the prosthetic loosened. Gripping it with both hands, I pulled it away and was surprised by a few things. First off, the artificial arm was lighter than I thought it would be. Second, it was just her hand that was missing rather than most of her lower arm as I thought. It seemed to end just before the wrist.

I reached up and set the arm on the counter before turning back to Viv. "Do you want to move to the couch?"

She nodded and I helped her to stand on wobbly legs. I kept an arm around her waist and her arm on my shoulders as I guided her back to the living room. I made sure she was settled on the couch before rushing back to the kitchen. I didn't feel comfortable leaving her alone for too long so I threw together a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches which looked terrible.  _ They just need to be edible not pretty.  _ I set them on a plate and went back to the living room.

Viv accepted one with a grateful smile and ate it slowly. A silence filled the room as we sat there and I found myself glancing at her through the corner of my eye. The brunette seemed exhausted. Barely-able-to-keep-her-eyes-open, about-to-pass-out-into-her-sandwich kind of exhausted. 

_ I wonder if she remembers any of it? _ As much as I hated the thought of discussing it, in case it triggered something else, I needed to know so I could help if another happened in the future. 

I waited for us to finish our sandwiches before I scooted closer to her. "Do you… do you want to talk about it?"

Viv closed her eyes and tried to subtly move away. "Not really but…”

"But?"

"I don't know… I'm just scared that you'll treat me differently." Her voice was full of fear and pain.

"Why would I do that? You didn't change how you treated me when you heard I was stabbed." I reached for her hand, intertwining our fingers. 

"But I-"

"Okay, you did change, but only when we're in public. You act like a shield, standing between me and other people. You go out of your way to make me feel safe. Right?"

"Yeah."

"See?" I squeezed her hand but she still refused to look at me. I took a deep breath, gathering my courage. "Remember how I said my first publisher was an ass? Well, a month or so after he terminated our contract I was asked to participate in a large book signing event with a bunch of other authors. It was huge and so many people came to see me. It gave me hope that I could still be a great writer." Viv opened her eyes, and even though she didn't look straight at me I noticed she was watching from the corner of her eye. "I ended up talking to everyone I could. Even after the event ended I stayed to talk to some of the people still wandering around. I was talking to these two women, I think they were cousins, while everything was being packed away when… when something brushed past me from behind. It was crowded so I didn't think anything of it but then… then there was a sharp pain in my right side. I looked down and there was so much blood…”

I had started to tremble and felt Viv squeeze my hand. She had finally turned to face me and her voice was soft.

"Hey. Take your time. I'm not going anywhere. Take a deep breath and I'll count to three, okay?"

_ Even after going through her own hell, she's still looking after me. _ I followed her instruction and went through the action a few times until I was calmer.

"I ended up collapsing. Luckily, the women I was talking to were able to help me. They were both firefighters in training. If it weren't for them I might not have made it. They kept me stable until the ambulance got there."

"Do you know what happened to the person who did it?" 

I shook my head. "They never found them. The officer in charge of the investigation told me it was most likely a random hate crime."

I could feel the anger radiate off of the fighter. Viv closed her eyes and took a deep breath, muttering something in Spanish.  _ I did not expect this kind of reaction. Though I'm not really surprised. _ One thing I learned quickly about Viv was that she had zero tolerance for people being miss treated, especially people she cared about. I let go of her hand and moved back to the end of the couch.

"Hey, uh, I think we could both use a hug."

I held my arms open and she practically dove into them with a small smile. I felt her left arm wrap around my side and her hand grasp my shirt for dear life as I wrapped my own arms around her tightly. Her right arm was tucked against her chest and she buried her face in my collar bone. I maneuvered us so we were laying on our sides, our legs tangled together.

"You know this is more cuddling than hugging right?" Viv pointed out with a small chuckle.

"You can move if you want."

"I'm fine if you are."

I gave a hum as I rested my chin on her head and she relaxed against me. It still amazed me how warm she was. We sat there in silence for a minute or two.

"Viv." I hesitated, rubbing small circles into her exposed shoulder with my thumb. "When I heard you scream and went into the kitchen… seeing you like that… it scared me. It scared me because I didn't know what to do. You were looking at me but you weren't seeing me. You were somewhere else."

Viv went tense. "Did I… did I say anything weird?"

"You called me Anna and asked me to put the weight down." I took a deep breath and took in a lung full of her scent. I felt some comfort wash over me. "Viv, I know it's hard to talk about but I want to be able to help you. Whenever I have a panic attack you always seem to know what to do. When I found you, I was at a loss. I just… I want to be able to help you in the future."

Viv let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, Summer. I haven't had an episode in years, but my stupid arm. It's been acting weird since last night but I didn't think…" She sighed again.

Viv lifted her head to meet my gaze. Being this close I could pick out the different colors in her eyes. I could have sat there all day starring into them. 

"Summer, are you sure you want to hear how I… how I got like this?"

I tightened my hold around her. "Only whatever you're comfortable sharing."

She gave me a small nod and looked away. Her leg shifted and I felt cool plastic press against my skin. Viv took a deep breath and her voice was quiet.

"My last fight was against a girl named Anna Kulbiski and she was an all around bitch. She had been fighting a year or two longer than me, but I was the more popular fighter. She hated that, so she challenged me to a fight. She was so cocky and sure she was going to win because she had yet to lose a match, and she forgot that I was also undefeated. It was a hell of a fight. I ended up winning by unanimous decision and she was furious. While I was at the hotel gym by myself the next morning she came in and attacked me. I had my earbuds in and my back to the door. I didn't stand a chance… She went to town on my leg, messing up my ankle and knee, and breaking it in a couple different places. Then she smashed my hand with a weight so bad it crushed all the bones. She must have heard some of the other fighters on their way in because she ran off. They found me on the floor in a pool of my own blood… I remember laying there on the floor in pain one moment and waking up in the hospital the next. If the others had been a few moments later she… she probably would have killed me."

She buried her face in my chest and I felt her tears soak through my shirt while her hand tugged the fabric on my back. I pulled her closer with one arm and ran my fingers through her hair with the other. We sat there for a moment or two, Viv crying while I patiently waited.

"My hand was so bad the doctors couldn't do anything to fix it so they amputated it. There wasn't much they could do for my ankle or knee either but they weren't so bad. My brace keeps my ankle still and limits the movement on my knee. Between my hand and my leg, I had to retire. I just fell off the grid and the organization agreed to keep it quiet so nobody knows what happened."

"What happened to Anna?" I asked as anger boiled in my chest.

"The attack was caught on the security cameras and she ended up going to jail for aggravated assault and attempted murder."

"Good."

Her voice trembled and she took a shaky breath. "There's… there's more I want to tell you… if that's okay." 

"You can tell me anything you want to, Viv."

I felt her fidget with my shirt as she chose her words. "That same night my boyfriend visited me and said he couldn't date someone like me. All in one day I lost my hand, my career, and my boyfriend. I was… I was ready to kill myself."

Her words sunk in. I never thought I'd hear someone say that, especially someone as carefree as Viv. I recalled the article and one part that I found odd. ‘ _ Acosta has become a ghost. Her once popular social media sites had been deleted.' She was getting ready to take her own life.  _ I felt tears build up in my eyes as a heavyweight set itself on my chest.

"Eventually, they sent me home and I had my apartment to myself. I did a few things, basically getting ready to do it but Zaid knew something was up. He saw through every lie and could tell I wasn't getting better. He gave me two choices. Either I was going to move in with him or he would tell Kamryn what I was planning to do. I… I hadn't even taken her into consideration. Our family is already a shit show and I realized that I would be leaving her alone. How could I do that to her? Ella es la única miembro de la familia que se ha preocupado por mí y así es como la trato.” She paused, taking a deep shaky breath. “So we pooled our money together and got the house."

I hummed and buried my face in her hair. "I'm glad you chose that. I might not have gotten to meet you otherwise. Who else would slay dragons for me?"

I felt her nuzzle into my chest as she gave a half hearted chuckle. " Gracias, Summer."

"You don't need to thank me, Viv. Compared to everything you've done for me, it was really nothing."

She gave a tired hum. "Doesn't mean you're not amazing."

I felt my face heat up and a smile appeared. Before I could say anything, I realized the fighter's breathing had slowed as she fell asleep. I closed my eyes and took another deep breath of her scent. Holding onto the fighter, I too drifted off to sleep.

\-----

I woke up a couple of hours later to find Viv still tucked into me, the two of us now covered by a light blanket. Glancing around the room, I found her prosthetic sitting on the coffee table next to my laptop, the hand reattached. I heard laughter pour in from the backyard.

"Viv," I whispered in her ear. "Viv, wake up. My family's home."

She groaned and I ran my hand through her soft black hair. After a moment, hazel eyes blinked up at me.

"Good morning, sleepyhead. Have a nice nap?" 

" Sí, y tú? "

I nodded agreement and we slowly got to our feet. Viv spotted her prosthetic and picked it up with a confused look. She slipped it on and moved the hand around before turning to me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged just as confused as her. 

"It sounds like everyone is out back. You ready?"

I offered my left hand and she took it with a smile. I led the way out the back door and onto the porch where my family sat gathered around the table. Everyone fell silent as we walked over.

"Summer!" My sister jumped to her feet and wrapped me in a hug.

"Hey, Annika." Before I could hug her back she let go and turned to Viv.

"And you must be her girlfriend! It's so good to finally meet you!"

Viv gave a shy smile, her eyes going wide as my sister hugged her too.

"It's uh, nice to meet you too."

My sister let her go before sitting back down. I gestured to the two open seats and we joined them at the table. 

"I hope you don't mind but I fixed your prosthetic for you," Erik said with a small smile.

"I was wondering how that happened.  Gracias ."

She gave a grateful smile before looking down at the arm in her lap. My mom caught my eye, mouthing ' _ Is everything okay?' _ I nodded with an assuring smile. 

"Do you know what happened?" I asked no one in particular. 

"I think when you were showing off yesterday you messed up the connection and after you continued to use it, it started to become loose. You going to open the fridge door finally popped it out. All I did was reconnect everything and put the hand back in the socket."

"Thank you, Erik. I didn't realize you'd be able to fix it."

He shrugged. "Well, I am majoring in robotics and it is a robotic hand. But seriously, it was no problem. Just take it easy next time."

We spent the rest of the afternoon joking around. Erik shared stories about his college life, Annika told us about her performances, my parents told us about things happening around town and what they've been up to. Viv even became comfortable enough to talk and told stories of some of her old fights and other adventures.

Not long after dinner Viv excused herself and headed up to bed, my parents following shortly after. With it just my siblings and I, I found all eyes on me.

"What happened? Viv’s way different than yesterday," Erik pointed out.

"It's not my place to tell but she has PTSD from her incident. Her hand coming off earlier triggered an episode but she's fine now. She's just tired."

They nodded solemnly and I watched Annika pull out her phone. She tapped it a few times before turning the screen to me with a mischievous grin. Leaning closer, I felt my face flush. It was a picture of me and Viv from earlier. We were laying on the couch with Viv nuzzled into me and my arms wrapped protectively around her, my face still buried in her hair.

" _ Why?" _

"Did you really think I wouldn't take a picture of my little sister cuddling with her girlfriend?" They both chuckled.

"Of course you would." I shook my head and got to my feet. "I'm gonna head to bed. Goodnight."

They called their good nights and I headed upstairs to my room. Laying in my bed I was hit by a wave of mixed emotions. Seeing Viv in such emotional pain hurt. The thought of never meeting her hurt even more. I rolled onto my side and found myself missing her warmth. My eyes went wide.  _ Oh. _


	8. Chapter 8

The rest of our trip was much more relaxed. Everyone fell into a route. My dad and I were usually the first ones up. He would make coffee and I’d pull out a bowl and some cereal for Viv. Typically my mom was the next to shuffle downstairs followed by either Anika or Viv while Erik was always the last up. My parents would sit on the back deck enjoying the morning air and Anika would plop on the couch to watch the news. Viv would join me in the kitchen making light conversation while she ate. 

It wasn’t until noon that we would start to do something as a family. We spent the rest of the week either lazing around the house together or out playing tourist, purely for Viv’s enjoyment since she had never been there. Luckily, with Guernsey being on the smaller side, I didn't need to worry about my phobia flaring up. 

Then at the end of each day, my siblings would spam my phone with pictures they had nabbed of me and Viv when we weren’t looking. They even shared them with the fighter once they swapped numbers. Despite my embarrassment of it all, they were nice pictures. One particular one of Viv and I standing on a bridge shoulder to shoulder with me laughing and, even though I was probably imagining it, Viv giving me a soft almost lovestruck look became my new phone background. 

After one last afternoon filled with rushed goodbyes and sibling squabbles, Viv and I headed back to Denver. She drove for the first hour and a half before we switched for the rest, the older woman falling asleep in the passenger seat. 

When I pulled into her driveway, I was greeted by Zaid who had been grabbing the mail. 

"Hey. How was the trip?" he asked in a hushed tone since Viv was still sleeping. 

I slipped out, trying my best to stay quiet, and walked over to the porch with him where we took a seat on the rocking chairs.

"It was a lot of fun.” My smile fell as I looked down at my feet. “There is one thing you should probably know about though. The day we got there Viv was showing off some to me and my brother doing all kinds of pull up tricks and stuff. It ended up disconnecting something in her prosthetic. The next day she went to open the fridge and the hand came off." Zaid went tense next to me. "It… it triggered an episode."

He released a heavy breath. "I see. How bad was it?"

"She called me Anna and kept asking me to put down the weight."

The man rubbed at his face with a groan. "Did she… Do you… Ugh."

"We talked about it after she snapped out of it. We told each other about our incidents. I know how she lost her hand and everything." Zaid gave me a concerned look. "The only thing I want to know is how to help her if it happens again. Just the way she looked  _ through  _ me and I had no clue what to do… That scared me. She always knows how to help me with my panic attacks and I want to be able to do the same for her."

He gave me a small smile and we talked for a good ten minutes, Zaid giving me tips and swapping phone numbers, before Viv finally woke up. With a yawn, she shuffled from my car, running a hand through her hair. 

"Why didn't you wake me? I don't want to keep you from anything you've gotta do."

I shrugged. "You're fine. I don't have anything else going on."

"Would you like to stay for dinner then?" Zaid asked. 

"Oh, sure."

"Cool. I'll be inside." I chuckled as Viv shuffled inside leaving Zaid and me on the porch.

"I guess I should get her bag then," Zaid sighed as he got to his feet.

"Oh, and Zaid?" He turned to me. "You're an amazing friend."

He gave a soft smile. "Thank you, Summer."

Unsurprisingly, the soft moment was broken by Viv yelling from inside the house. “Which of you bitches painted my dog’s nails?”

\-----

Feeling something wet repeatedly brush against my cheek, I blinked open my eyes. I was greeted by an excited bark as I found Fizzgig at eye level with me before being pulled away.

“Have a nice nap?” Aubree asked with a smug smile, Fizzgig in her arms.

I sat up and felt something slump against me. Looking down, I found Viv asleep with her head resting on my shoulder. My face burned as I shook her awake. Hazel eyes blinked open and found mine.

“Uh, hi.”

“Hola.” Pink dusted her cheeks.

Aubree chuckled and we both whipped our heads to face her. “Dinner is ready.”

She set Fizzgig down before walking off to the kitchen, a knowing smile plastered to her face.

“Uh, sorry about that. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“I don’t think either of us did.” She got to her feet, offering me her hand and a shy smile. 

We spent dinner telling the others about our trip while sheepishly avoiding each other’s gazes. We told them about my family and the things we did while we played tourists. The only thing we left out was Viv’s episode which Zaid already knew about. And, of course, Viv confronted Aubree about the fact that Fizzgig’s claws were now a bright pink causing the roommates to have a playful argument. 

Eventually, dinner had ended and I decided it was time I headed home. Rather than rush to my car, I found myself standing on the porch with Viv.

“Thank you for going with me, you really did need to.”

She waved it away. “It was no problem. I had fun and your family is really cool.”

“Thanks.” I gave a small smile which she returned. “I’ll see you later then. Good night Viv.”

“Buenas noches, Tesoro.”

\-----

Being back home was certainly different, I realized the next morning. I woke up to my alarm and shuffled into the kitchen where I started up my Keurig. As I waited for my coffee, I found myself tearing through the cupboards and pantry in search of cereal. It took me a good ten minutes before I remembered I didn't have any. Shaking away the embarrassment and blaming the routine I developed during the week, I grabbed my mug before hurrying over to my office.

I had to admit spending time with Viv and my family was nice and made me wish I visited more often.  _ Maybe we could go back in the fall or the winter. I think Viv would love to see everything decorated with holiday lights.  _

I froze, my eyes going wide. First I had tried to find cereal for Viv and then I start thinking about taking her home with me for the holidays. I groaned.  _ What is wrong with me? _

I should have known my feelings for the brunette would grow after spending a whole week acting like a couple with her. I had grown used to her antics and had learned how to fire back with my own comments. I had even grown used to having the fighter close by, whether that be sitting in the same room, sometimes close enough to be in each other's personal space, or elsewhere in the house where I could easily call her. Now that I was back home, everything felt colder without her. 

With a sigh, I dropped my head to my desk with a dull thump. The more I learned about her the more I found myself fighting with my growing attraction to her. It was a losing battle too. Each time Viv said or did something that caused me to smile I could feel my heart melt a little more.  _ How could I not? She’s thoughtful, funny, loyal. She’s amazing.  _

I shook the thoughts away and sat up, turning on my laptop with a sigh. I wasn’t even sure if Viv felt the same way about me. It was pointless to get my hopes up when there’s a great chance I’ll be disappointed in the end. 

_ Easier said than done.  _ I frowned as I got to work.  _ My hole just continues to get deeper. _


End file.
